The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to cytometry and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to cell isolation, immobilization, culture, manipulation, and analysis.
Flow cytometry has proven useful in analysis of living cells, where the cells may be inspected individually after antibody binding by flowing them serially through a detector. Other technologies may be based on the ability of a non-uniform electric field to exert forces on neutral, polarizable particles, such as cells, that are suspended in a liquid. This electrokinetic principle, called dielectrophoresis (DEP), is used to trap cells in DEP “cages” by creating an electric field above a subset of electrodes in an array that is in counter phase with the electric field of adjacent electrodes. When a DEP cage is moved by a change in the electric field pattern, the trapped cell moves with it.